Article takeaways
- Winter weather conditions like freezing temperatures, moisture buildup, and snow can damage stored items like furniture, electronics, photographs, and clothing if proper winter storage precautions aren’t taken.
- Climate-controlled storage units are essential for winter storage, maintaining stable temperatures between 55°F and 80°F to prevent damage from freeze-thaw cycles, mold, mildew, and moisture.
- Decluttering before winter storage saves money and space by removing unused seasonal items, creating room for proper organization and winter essentials like snow blowers and holiday decorations.
- Vehicles require winterization before storage, including fuel stabilizers, battery maintenance with trickle chargers, proper tire inflation, and breathable covers to protect against winter damage.
- Preventing pest infestations requires using plastic bins instead of cardboard boxes, cleaning all items thoroughly, placing plastic sheeting as barriers, and using moisture absorbers throughout the unit.
Depending on where you live, winter storage preparation may be a critical part of storage unit maintenance.
Readers in Southern California get to enjoy great weather year-round, sure. But those of you in regions like Minneapolis–St. Paul or New York City is confronting blistering winds, plunging temperatures, and the persistent moisture buildup of snow and ice.
These harsh conditions aren’t kind to the family heirlooms, electronics, summer sports equipment, and seasonal clothing.
Imagine being a cardboard box of photographs left on the floor of a storage unit. If the snow melt doesn’t get you, then maybe it’ll be the rodents or bugs looking for a nice place to nest over the winter.
You’ve got freezing temperatures warping wooden furniture, cracking plastics, and draining batteries. Meanwhile, the moisture buildup makes the environment a nice, comfy place for mold and mildew to grow.
But don’t let ol’ Jack Frost scare you away. There are steps you can take to prepare your storage unit for winter.
This helpful guide explains how to use self-storage in winter. Our Expert winter storage tips will help you turn your winter storage into a wise investment that keeps your belongings safe.
1. Use winter as a time to get rid of junk
Our first winter storage tip is to declutter as you go. Preparing for winter storage provides the perfect opportunity for decluttering. After all, storing things you don’t need is a waste of space, money, and effort.
Start by sorting through your spring and summer seasonal items that you’ll be putting into storage.
- Maybe there’s some summer stuff like patio furniture, garden tools, or grills in your storage unit that you haven’t touched since last winter.
- Pro Tip: If you do store your grill for the winter, slip a grill cover over it and be sure the propane tank is disconnected and kept outside or in a well-ventilated area.
- Anything you haven’t used in over a year gets analyzed.
- If you don’t use it, don’t need it, and it doesn’t hold significant personal value, sell, donate, or trash it.
Use these decluttering tips on all seasonal items, from sports equipment to clothing–and not just in your storage unit.
You can organize your basement, attic, or garage space for winter essentials while you’re at it. After all, you’ll need somewhere to keep your snow blower, snow shovels, and holiday decorations once you take them all out of storage.
Plus, a little bit of decluttering and garage organization sets you ahead of schedule when it’s time for Spring cleaning.
2. Climate-controlled storage is an absolute must
When it comes to preparing for winter storage, climate-controlled self-storage is a must for protecting your belongings from the wrath of winter storage.
- Climate-controlled units are typically indoors.
- The indoor facility employs temperature and humidity monitoring and regulation technology.
- Climate control guarantees safe temperature and moisture levels year-round, even during the extreme cold of winter.
Freezing temperatures can make plastics and wood brittle to the point of breaking, the batteries in battery-powered items to lose their charge or leak, and can damage electronics beyond repair.
And that’s not to mention the temperature fluctuations and moisture buildup that create a breeding ground for mold, mildew, and rust, which can ruin everything from fabrics, antique family heirlooms, important documents, and DVDs & CDs.
A climate-controlled unit maintains a stable temperature and humidity level, typically between 55°F and 80°F. The consistent environment in climate-controlled units prevents the destructive effects of the freeze-thaw cycle, preserving things like leather couches, antique wooden dressers, artwork, and photographs.
If you already have a unit, contact your self-storage facility before winter hits and ask if you can switch to a climate-controlled unit. It may cost you a bit more per month, but not as much as it would to replace everything in winter storage.
3. How to use and prepare your storage unit for winter car storage
Our next winter storage tip has to do with vehicle storage, which can include anything from cars and motorcycles to sports cars and boats, to RVs. There are some outdoor parking options, but it leaves your precious vehicle exposed to snow, ice, and harsh winds.
To best protect these vehicles in areas with particularly harsh winter weather, find a storage facility with indoor vehicle storage, preferably with drive-up access. A large 10×25, 10×30, or even 10×40 unit can accommodate most vehicle sizes, with a little extra room to move around the car, and for a shelf of tools and fluids.
Speaking of extra room for tools and maintenance, even if you score the most climate-controlled unit in the world, you’ll want to winterize your car before you let it sit in storage for a whole season. Always check with your make and year model’s service manual, but here’s a quick winter car storage checklist to get you started:
- Fuel System: Fill the gas tank to about 90% capacity and add fuel stabilizers. This prevents moisture from accumulating in the tank and keeps the fuel from degrading.
- Battery Care: A battery can lose its charge in the cold. Use a 1-2 Amp smart battery charger, often called a smart trickle charger or battery tender, to maintain your battery health. We suggest disconnecting and removing the battery and charging it in a well-ventilated area that’s also covered.
- Tire Protection: Inflate tires to the recommended tire pressures to help prevent flat spots. For long-term storage, place the vehicle on jack stands to take all the weight off the tires.
- Exterior and Interior: Wash and wax the vehicle to protect the paint from corrosion. Cover it with a high-quality, breathable car cover. Avoid using plastic sheeting as a car cover, as it can trap moisture and damage the finish. Clean the interior thoroughly to avoid attracting pests.
4. Pack, prepare, and organize right to avoid the need for pest control
Whether using climate control or not, your belongings are not the only things seeking shelter from the cold. Bugs, mice, and other critters are constantly looking for ways to stay warm, and an unprotected storage unit and its contents can make for an inviting winter habitat.
To protect your items, find a storage facility in your area that provides pest control. Outside of pest control, here are some last-minute winter storage tips you can follow on your own to help protect your belongings:
- Rather than using a chewable cardboard box, find a clear plastic storage bin and airtight storage containers. Plastic storage bins also make packing, stacking, and organizing your storage unit an easier endeavor.
- Place a layer of plastic sheeting on the floor under furniture or other large items as a bug and vapor barrier.
- Wash all linens, blankets, and clothing, and ensure they’re thoroughly dried before packing them.
- Crumbs in kitchen appliances or dirt on garden tools can attract pests, so ensure every item is spotless before it goes into the unit.
5. Moisture Absorbers and Odor Control
Even in a climate-controlled unit, if you want to come back to a mold-free chair and table set and clothing that doesn’t smell like funk, you have to take some action and follow these winter storage tips at the start of the season.
For starters, put moisture absorbers or open boxes of baking soda in any empty furniture compartments or drawers.
Use breathable but moisture-resistant covers on your furniture pieces.
Set some cedar blocks, dryer sheets, or lavender sachets inside your storage containers, especially with any sheets, linens, or clothing.
Preparing for Self Storage in Winter? Storage.com Can Help
Thanks to our primary winter storage tips, you should have a pretty good idea of how to prepare your self-storage in winter.
By starting with a thorough decluttering of seasonal items like summer clothing and patio furniture, you make space for proper organization, moisture control, and winterization. Opting for climate-controlled storage protects your valuable and sensitive items against freezing temperatures and mildew-causing moisture.
Vehicle owners should be prepared to add fuel stabilizers and hook their battery up to a 1 Amp battery charger in a well-ventilated area. We suggest storing your car indoors in a climate-controlled storage space with plenty of extra room to conduct some maintenance and move around.
But how do you find the storage unit size you need with climate control in a convenient location near you?
That’s where we come in.
Storage.com lets you browse and compare self-storage units using amenity filters that isolate the storage facilities in your area with all the ideal storage features you need.
Just punch your zip code into our handy Storage.com search tool, and you’ll see what we mean.
We’ll filter through the thousands of local storage facilities for you, making it easy to find the storage unit that best fits your needs.
Whether you’re looking for a climate-controlled storage unit with climate control, electricity, alarms, 24-hour access, drive-up access, or security cameras, Storage.com makes the process quick and painless.
All you have to do is choose a storage unit and your move-in date, and we’ll take care of the rest. And if you have any questions about storage unit organization that this guide didn’t answer, feel free to ask. Our storage representatives are just a phone call away!
